Tested By You – GM Readers Review New Gear

After Nike moved away from producing golf equipment last year, a number of its resulting free agents on tour turned straight to Mizuno’s irons to fill the gap.

Keen to see if our readers could enjoy the same benefits the likes of Brooks Koepka and Paul Casey have experienced, we contacted Mizuno.

Step in Matthew McIsaac, a Mizuno fitting expert tasked with fitting two Golf Monthly readers into one of its JPX900 iron models. He used Mizuno’s DNA fitting tool to capture their important swing data, such as swing speed, tempo and kick angle, with the system then suggesting three suitable shaft options.

With this shortlist in hand, Matthew worked through the potential options with our readers hitting shots on TrackMan. He also noted their personal head and flight preferences before making his final recommendation.

One of the lucky duo was 13-handicapper John Duffy, who was seeking a bit more distance and control than his current set gave him. You see how he got on in the video above and in the text below, with all the launch monitor data also printed in August’s issue of Golf Monthly magazine.

Matthew’s Fitter Analysis

“It became apparent watching John’s smooth motion that he might benefit from a lighter shaft, and the DNA results suggested graphite could be his best match. We also tried some light steel options and saw some interesting results. For John, the graphite shaft gave him the most distance, but the dispersion wasn’t quite there. The 105g steel offered the best mix – he was launching it higher and gained 13 yards carry.”

John’s Fitting Feedback

“We tried a range of shafts on the day and settled on a lightweight steel one that felt the most comfortable. The Mizuno JPX900 Hot Metal head gave me the most forgiveness”

John’s On-Course Feedback

“I’ve certainly benefited from the extra forgiveness since the fitting session with Matthew. The new irons have given me a higher flight with improved carry. For example, one of our par 3s was previously an easy 6-iron, but it’s now a smooth 7-iron. I also really like the feel, and in my four rounds so far, the highlight was ten pars and a birdie in a betterball match!”